Platform structures are employed to support activities of persons in various endeavors such as construction, manufacturing, art creation, stage performance and others. Generally, a platform structure includes a platform floor, which comprises horizontal planar, rigid surface on which objects, workers and materials are placed. A platform structure may further include walls or extensions for supporting or hanging things and allowing activities beyond just placing them on the horizontal surface of the platform floor.
One group of persons and activities that sometimes employ platform structures is that of artists, including performing artists (e.g., actors, dancers) as well as artists in the act of creating or displaying a physical work product. Artists use platform structures because they provide a solid flat support surface (floor) for conducting their activities, and also to protect the underlying floors of the premises in which the activities are being carried out. For example, an artist who owns or rents an office or apartment space may wish to protect the original floors of the space from damage from the acts used in creating some kinds of artwork. Painting, welding, sawing, grinding, hammering and other acts to create artwork can damage traditional floors.
Merely placing a protective covering (e.g., sheet materials) over the floors of a space may not be adequate for the purpose of protecting the floors in all cases. Also, such simple coverings do not adequately isolate spaces and floors beneath the artist's work space from noise and disturbance associated with the artist's work. In addition, simple sheet coverings lack the versatile multipurpose nature of the structures described below.